Vander is a well-versed upcoming act in the deep house community, evolving his dreamy yet dark style with releases on labels such as Garden Of Babylon, Stil Vor Talent, Art Vibes to name a few. The Dominican Republic native is definitely an act to follow, who’s put his time in quarantine to good: his recently launched music production education program has seen a wave a success, giving aspiring producers a chance to hone their craft in this period of transition. We caught up with the Gardens of Babylon resident to check in on how his project is developing and the vision behind it.

Husa Sounds: When and how did you decide you want to be an online instructor
Vander: It came naturally to me. A few weeks after all my North America tour was canceled I found myself with a lot of extra time. I was looking at what to do and some friends were already asking me guidance on music production and DJ. My initial idea was to invite young artists to my studio to make my space available to them and to guide them in their musical journey. Of course, that wasn’t possible due to the pandemic so I started to have private sessions over Zoom. After a few sessions, I came to the realization that in order to make myself more accessible to others it was better to record a full course. Then I went all in to the idea and now we have over 70 students already signed up in such a short time.
HS: Do you think everyone has the ability to learn how to produce tracks?
Vander:  Yes of course! That’s the beauty of it. We all can express ourselves musically. The only thing needed is the right mentorship, strong foundations and a clear process. Once you have that settled, your creativity will flourish.

HS: Can people who take your course use that knowledge to make any styles of music?
Vander: Yes, music has no boundaries and all the genres are made in the same way. Even though I am making an electronic dance music track, the course is focussed on transmitting the foundations and a clear process of music-making to the students. You’re going to learn how to use the software properly, how to design your sounds, how to hack music theory even though you don’t have a musical background and how to mix tracks. Having all that knowledge, then it’s up to the student how their songs are gonna be.
HS: Did you learn anything about music production while recording this course?
Vander: Totally! When recording the course I wanted to make sure I was on top of my game so I took some days to strengthen my knowledge even more. I heard that you don’t know something fully until you teach it, now I understand why. Sometimes we do stuff out of habit but we miss some details of it so this also was an exercise for me to dive into it. The best is that now (because of the course), I am back to my student hat and I am constantly learning and improving myself. Something I missed the past years because of touring.

HS: What’s the feedback been so far?
Vander: It’s been great! Also it’s giving me and my team so much energy that we are already working on our next course which will be a full DJing course from beginners to advanced. Here are some testimonials:
“Your VMA course is so well-structured, it’s exactly what I needed. Starting by building a good foundation, workflow, and for that price. You truly are too kind as a virtual mentor!”
“I am doing the course and it looks amazing! Everything is explained very nicely and even though I knew some basics of Ableton it is fun and I get to learn a lot of new things. Thanks for providing!”
“I am hooked on Vander’s course, the layout and pace is exactly what I needed. Simplifying Music Theory and Production whilst speaking from the heart, beautiful!”
“You are not only our music teacher, you are our life coach! Thanks for this beautiful message.”
“Your Vander Academy platform is super bomb! Checked out the first videos, love your introduction to creativity and the way you speak from your heart.”
“Hooked up with Vander course and his dry humor”
You can check out the course here